


A Conversation on the Bathroom Floor

by alphasnail



Category: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Genre: Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Nightmares, One Shot, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, Short & Sweet, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-09 21:44:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18925573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphasnail/pseuds/alphasnail
Summary: Sissel does his best to comfort Jowd in his own way.





	A Conversation on the Bathroom Floor

**Author's Note:**

> I finished the game a second time around and I churned this out in under two days. Hope you like it!

          Unhindered by clouds, the light of the full moon cast stark shadows on the ground outside. Tree branches stretched out like long claws across the backyard. The conditions were perfect for watching the creatures of the night as they went about their business.

          Sissel sat right in front of the kitchen window, silently observing, as he always did. His sharp eyes caught every little movement: Moths fluttering, owls swooping, squirrels darting for cover, bat shadows. Fascinating.

          He was more of a watcher than a hunter, but he could feel the twitch in his hind legs and the little fire in his heart. ‘Killer instinct’, he’d heard it was called. At least, that’s what the good detective had told Kamila. He didn’t fancy himself a killer, though. He was just a cat.

_Click._ Sissel’s ears flicked towards the sound of a door closing ever so gently. He didn’t look away from the window until he heard shuddered breathing.

          The breathing faded as quiet footsteps moved down the hallway, the footsteps of someone heavy-set trying not to make the floorboards creak. He knew those footsteps— Detective Jowd.

          Something was wrong. It was time to investigate.

_Click._ As he leapt to the floor, a light came on at the end of the hallway, revealing a large silhouette. It was Detective Jowd, alright.

          Sissel stopped right in front of the doorway, but the detective didn’t notice. He was too busy staring into the sink, watching it _drip, drip, drip,_ like a heartbeat. Sissel briefly thought about what it would be like to feel that rhythm in his chest again, but now was not the time to get distracted. Jowd looked like he could use some company.

          Should he touch him? Brush up against his leg, maybe? Sissel knew that he personally didn’t like being touched when he was scared, though, and Jowd looked very scared. Scared humans were fickle— sometimes they wanted to be touched, sometimes they lashed out. Sissel felt sorry enough for Jowd that he was willing to find out for himself. He walked closer, and his haunches brushed against the door, causing it to creak. Jowd was suddenly facing him.

_Click._

          A gun.

          It had been a while since he’d seen one of those.

          Guns didn’t pose much of a threat to him, though. He stayed where he was, black like the shadows, with only his eyes to give his presence away.

          The detective was aiming quite a ways above Sissel, probably where he thought another person’s head ought to be. He stood there, frozen in time, looking even more scared than before, until he noticed those two little twin dots, glowing like fireflies.

          “Oh, God. Sissel,” he whispered, shutting his own eyes tight. He quickly put his gun away and knelt on the floor before offering one of his shaking hands. “I’m sorry. I won’t hurt you. It’s okay…”

_You couldn’t hurt me if you tried,_ Sissel thought. _Don’t you know that?_ He started to walk toward the detective’s hand, trying to show him that he felt no ill will, but Jowd drew his hand back before Sissel could reach it.

          “I… I know that,” Jowd replied, much to Sissel’s shock. “I remember.” He laughed quietly to himself, but it didn’t sound like a happy laugh. “That, or I’m hearing things.”

_Well, you’re hearing my thoughts, that’s for sure._ Sissel looked directly into Jowd’s eyes. That’s what humans did when they talked to each other, so maybe it would make Jowd feel better. _I didn’t know you still could._

          “I didn’t know either. You haven’t tried to speak to me until now, have you?”

_Nope. Didn’t even cross my mind._

          “Of course it didn’t.” Jowd cracked a familiar wry smile, the same smile that Sissel saw while he helped the detective escape his own execution. Sissel knew that smile well. Jowd was still very scared. Terrified, even.

          “You’re a cat,” Jowd continued, feeling the need to state facts for some reason. “Conversation isn’t your style.”

_That’s not true. I’ve tried to have plenty of conversations with you,_ Sissel countered. _Just without talking— or, thinking in your direction, more like. Cats don’t need to use words to get the point across._ He tilted his head, hoping to capture the same feeling of Jowd’s wry smile. _It’s just that you humans are so dense. You need everything spelled out for you._

          “Funny choice of words for someone who can’t read,” Jowd quipped. “It’s been almost a year since then, you know. Are you sure you weren’t avoiding me?”

           Despite Jowd’s chipper banter, he looked just as tired as he did on that fateful night, and his heart was pounding just as hard. Sissel chose to let the question hang in the air.

          After sitting down and leaning against the counter, the detective took his gun out of his pocket. He stared at it for a moment before dropping it as if it’d burned him and sliding it away with his foot. Slowly, he brought his knees to his chest, wrapping one arm around them as if to hold them in place and planting his other hand on the floor to steady himself.

          He was breathing quickly again. It sounded a lot more strained this time. He was trying to control it. It was a bit sad, watching such a strong man try to hide in plain sight.

          Sissel recognized this feeling now: Panic. The certainty that something terrible was going to happen to him, which made his heart race and his lungs seize up. It made him feel like he was going to die. He couldn’t leave the good detective feeling like that, especially when it wasn’t even warranted.

          Jowd didn’t move an inch. He was frozen in time again. Sissel was still hesitant to touch him, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized how often Jowd communicated through affection. He greeted his friends with handshakes and hearty claps on the back and he greeted his family with hugs and kisses. Most importantly, though, when he comforted Kamila, he would hold her close against his chest.

          Without further deliberation, Sissel carefully clawed his way up the detective’s pant leg and curled up on top of his knees, pressing his back against his chest.

          A few moments of calm silence passed between them.

          “You’ve never done that before,” Jowd murmured, trying to keep his voice from shaking. The detective started scratching Sissel behind the ears, eliciting a loud purr from him.

_You seem like you need it._ Sissel raised his head to look at Jowd. _What happened? You must be really scared if you’re drawing your gun over a creaky door hinge._

          Jowd winced. “I’m just being an idiot. Again, I’m really sorry.” He suddenly drew in a breath, looking paler than ever before. “God… What if it had been Alma or Kamila? They’d be terrified of me.”

_It wasn’t either of them, though. You got lucky this time, so keep that in mind next time,_ Sissel advised. _But, there’s no reason to feel guilty over something that didn’t even happen. It won’t do you any good._

          “Wise words,” Jowd said, sounding equally surprised and hollow.

_Thanks, but you didn’t answer the question._

          “Right.” Jowd shrugged. “Nightmares happened.”

_Nightmares? What are those?_ They certainly didn’t sound friendly. Sissel unconsciously sunk his claws into the detective’s knee.

           “That hurts,” he muttered, gently plucking Sissel’s paws off of his pants leg one by one. “Nightmares are just bad dreams. They’re not something that grown men should be scared of.”

_Bad dreams, huh? I have those sometimes. I try not to think about them too much._ Even thinking about them now, Sissel wanted to press even closer to Jowd. _They’re usually about being alone._

          Jowd nodded in understanding. “Mine were about repeating my mistakes.”

_That’s it?_

          “Yes… and no.”

_Cryptic. Will you tell me the real answer if I solve your riddles three?_

          “So _you’re_ the one that Kamila’s been reading her books to at night.”

          Sissel saw the ghost of a genuine smile on his face. At least he was calming down, if only a little.

          “That’s a fair point, though. It’s not as if I have anything to hide,” Jowd said with a sigh. “They were about everything that happened over those ten years… and the possibility of it happening all over again.”

_Oh._ Sissel’s eyes went wide as he thought about how quickly everything could go wrong. _That’s horrifying. Anybody would be scared of that._

          “Maybe so. It’s not just at night, either.” Jowd’s gaze wandered to the corner of the room, watching something that only he could see. “Every day, I wonder… What if I lose Alma twice?” He laughed quietly to himself again. “Wouldn’t that be a cruel twist of fate.”

          If it didn’t feel so familiar, it would have been the most bitter sound that Sissel had ever heard in his life.

          “It could be Kamila this time around. I don’t know what that feels like yet.”

          Sissel felt a chill run up his spine.

_Detective…_

          “Hell, maybe it’ll be everyone.”

_Detective, stop it._

          “Even Cabanela and Lynne,” Jowd continued on, ignoring him. “God knows how that would feel.”

          His fur bristled at the mention of Lynne. It felt so familiar for a reason.

_You sound like Yomiel._

          That got Jowd’s attention.

_Well, how he used to sound, anyway. Talking about horrible things like it’s nothing… Calm, but broken inside._ Sissel stared pointedly at the detective.

_Those ten years were pretty happy for me, but I still have one regret._

           “... Really?”

_Yep. He would talk to me all the time, you know. About all sorts of stuff. Except, he couldn’t have known that I was listening. He’d basically found a way to justify talking to himself._

          Pity softened Jowd’s features. “That’s so sad.”

_I know… I’m not done, though._ Sissel licked a paw and drew it over his ear a few times while he spoke so he didn’t have to look at Jowd.

_I was never sure exactly what he was talking about, but it sounded like he was playing really complicated games with toys. After all, he was always telling me about his plans for them and what his next move would be. It took awhile for me to figure out that they were other humans._

          “So you knew,” Jowd said. From the way he’d said it, he could tell where this was going, and that felt way too vulnerable. Sissel left Jowd’s lap and sat down across from him.

_I knew. In the end, he was the one who talked himself into treating people’s lives like toys… but I wasn’t able to talk him out of it. All I could do was watch him get worse. I was on my own._

          “And you don’t want that to happen again, do you.” Jowd reached out a hand, but left it up to Sissel to decide what to do.

_Exactly._ Sissel chose to stay where he was. _So, don’t talk about your family that way. They’re my family, too._

          A kind smile bloomed on Jowd’s face. “When did you decide that?”

_When I started living with you. A certain little warrior showed me how nice it is to have a family._

          “That so? You’re a good kid, Sissel. A good cat, I mean,” Jowd corrected himself. His smile turned much more somber. “But… those ten years will never go away. Neither will the nightmares. Not for a long, long time, at least. You can’t talk me out of everything.”

_That’s unfortunate. Can I talk you out of worrying so much, though?_

          “Ha. I don’t know. Can you?”

_I can try._ Sissel felt a lot less vulnerable now, so he moved closer to Jowd, claiming a perch on the wastebasket next to him so they were eye-level with each other. _I still have my ghost tricks. How’s that?_

          Realizing the implications of that, the detective let out a little sigh of relief.

_If anyone dies, I’ll save them,_ Sissel promised. _No need to carry your gun around the house. Besides, I don’t need any extra work._

          Jowd snorted, a little miffed. “That’s one way to put it.”

_It was the nicest way I could put it._

          “I guess so,” Jowd conceded. He rested the back of his head against the counter, still looking a bit overwhelmed. “I need a therapist.”

_A therapist…_ Sissel lashed his tail from side to side as he thought. _I think Yomiel talked about needing one of those too, but he could never get one. You know, being a dead guy and all._

          “Good thing I’m not a dead guy.” After taking a deep breath, Jowd abruptly pocketed his gun and stood up. “I’m going to bed. Are you coming?”

_I don’t know. The full moon’s out tonight… Are you even going to sleep?_

          Jowd paused. “I was hoping that if I laid there long enough, I’d fall asleep eventually.”

_Why not come with me? Pull a chair up to the window and just watch. There’s a lot to see._ Sissel’s eyes lit up just thinking about it. _It’s pretty soothing, too. I fall asleep on the windowsill all the time._

          “Of course _you_ do. Cats can fall asleep anywhere.”

_It’s a lot easier to fall asleep on a windowsill than in a room where everyone snores._

          “Fair enough,” Jowd replied, looking more like his warm, jolly self. Satisfied, Sissel hopped off the wastebasket and stood in the doorway, looking over his shoulder at Jowd.

_Are you coming or not?_

          “You know what? I think I will. … Sissel?

_What?_

          “Thank you. For everything.”

_You’re welcome, Detective._

_Click._


End file.
